Editor's note: With the observance of Martin Luther King Day on January 21, this post by Empish Thomas is particularly relevant. It is part of VisionAware's ongoing book review series.
Caption: Book Cover of March Book One
I don’t typically read graphic novels. As a matter of fact, the book that I am reviewing is my very first. For those who are not familiar with the genre, a graphic novel is a…

The VisionAware peer advisors are celebrating Louis Braille's birthday on January 4 with a compiliation of everyday places where you will be able to find and use braille. In case you don't know, Louis Braille was the creator of the braille code, which revolutionized reading and writing for blind people throughout the world.
I compiled this post with much input from the other peer advisors. If you haven't learned braille already, these examples should give you some great reasons to learn it for use in your everyday life. <img…

Editor's note: This review was originally posted on VisionAware peer advisor Susan Kennedy's website, Adventures in Low Vision. It contains snippets from that review and is part of the VisionAware bookshelf series. Book Draws the Reader In Through Its Opening About Author's Guide Dog
Have Dog, Will…

Editor's note: March is National Reading Month, and Empish Thomas has compiled a great list of movies that are based on books that you will want to check out. Also, if you love movies, her post on audio-described movies is a must read, and it includes links to other helpful articles. One more thing, the VisionAware peer advisors have put together an excellent anthology of books about adjusting to vision loss that may contain books of interest to you or a family member. Jumping…

by Neva Fairchild and Empish Thomas
It’s that time of year when we need a new calendar, resolve to get organized, and commit to keeping track of appointments independently.
If you have a visual impairment, this can be easier said than done. None of the calendars at the store have large enough numbers or letters, and there’s not enough room to write even if you buy a desk-size calendar, which of course you cannot take with you. If you use a black permanent marker so that you can read what you write, it bleeds through to the next page. The letters and numbers are gray instead of black, and the spaces are too small to write what you need to know. Eventually, you leave the stationary aisle frustrated with nothing that meets your needs. Now what? Print…

Editor's note: In January, we celebrate both National Braille Awareness and National Glaucoma Awareness months. Guest writer Jasmyn Polite shares her experience and advice as a person with glaucoma who has learned braille. Learning the Importance of Braille
by Jasmyn Polite
I have glaucoma and have progressively lost vision as I have grown older. When I was a young child, I thought that braille didn’t…

Editor's note: To celebrate the life of Louis Braille (1809-1852), who made reading and writing possible for people who are blind, we’d like to acknowledge his young entrepreneurial skill that changed night writing into a code of dots we know today as braille. VisionAware peer advisor Maribel Steel, shares an excerpt from her unpublished memoir. She reflects on her teen years when her sight mysteriously worsened and how facing the question, to braille or not to braille, was met with personal uncertainty. Physical…

Recently, a friend told me she ordered a variety of books which she is gifting to family and friends this year for Christmas. My friend said she simply visited some bookselling sites, placed her order, and the books arrived at her door just a few days later. What a great idea! The gift of reading doesn’t require anyone to go out shopping in the crowded malls or travel on the busy highways. Books are fun to select throughout the year.
I’ve been preparing my annual Christmas letter and putting them inside the envelope with my Christmas cards. I put together some special gift packages to send to people who have been so…

Book Presents View of Difficulties of Growing Up with Low Vision
Ann Chiappetta’s second book entitled "Follow Your Dog, A Story of Love and Trust," is a memoir about growing up with low vision and how becoming a guide dog handler changed her life. Ann took me on a journey through her world as she reflected on the loneliness of growing up visually impaired but not blind. There are passages that touch the heart describing her struggles with declining vision. I felt her pain at not measuring up to some nonexistent super blind person who does it all right with grace and aplomb. I wanted to hug her for her…

Do you often think about sharing your experience of vision loss but lack the resources to blog your own post? Perhaps you have a passion in other areas of your life you know would help others if they only knew what you knew, but coding a web post is not your forte? No problemconsider becoming a guest blogger!
Maribel Steel, who is legally blind, a VisionAware peer advisor, and a Top 100 Freelance Blogger (as listed on Feedspot.com) wants to let you know it’s absolutely possible!
Here are some easy ways to help you get started as a blogger without having to set up your own blog and why it is a great way to sneak into writing on the Internet. Open the Gate to Possibility <img src="http://www.afb.org/image.ashx?ImageID=8708"…

The Christmas Carriage and Other Writings of the Holiday Season is Alice Jane-Marie Massa’s first book. It’s a collection of holiday-themed memoirs, fanciful stories, and poems. Readers are immediately drawn into the book for two reasons.
First, the book’s cover photo features a picture of a Christmas carriage on a snowy day. This photo by photographer Cindy Kennedy-Lesky reflects a nostalgic illustration of the winter season and holidays. The image holds in it the memories we all have of our own personal recollections of holidays and family gatherings.
Second, when I opened the book, I began…

Compiled by Maribel Steel
How exciting would it be to be able to announce to the world, My first book has just been published! I’m delighted to say that this is how I first heard of my fellow peer and writer friend, Mary Hiland sharing the story of her long overdue struggle to have her book published. For anyone in this similar dilemma to publish or not to publish, let’s see how it turned out for Mary. The Bumpy Road to Self-Publishing
By Mary Hiland <img src="http://www.afb.org/image.ashx?ImageID=7604" width="250px" alt="Mary Hiland standing on a bridge…

What better way is there to leave a legacy to your family than to self-publish your own book? A book with stories and family recipes from three generations to nourish their future? This was my reason for keeping my publishing project a secret from my family so that I could produce the final book as a Christmas gift to my grown-up children. Come behind the scenes to discover how, as a writer who visually impaired, I created my book with three helper elves to make my legacy a reality. A Precious Gift
The bright spark of an idea came to me in a flash three months before Christmas. I’d write a recipe book as a surprise and gift it to them for…

Compiled by Maribel Steel
Have you wondered about publishing your own book to share your life’s experience and expertise? You may think there are a lot of books out there about living with low vision and indeed, there are quite a fewexcept there is always room in the world of self-publishing to include your creative work too. In a previous post, Self-Publishing: A Pathway to Sharing Your Story,…

Overview of Planet of the Blind
Stephen Kuusisto's fantastic book, Planet of the Blind, details his life as someone living with blindness before the implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. He describes what it was like growing up, how he was ostracized throughout his education, and how he struggled to deal with his own thoughts on being disabled. In the beginning of the book, Kuusisto details the cause of his blindness and the diagnosis of retinopathy of prematurity. He also explains his visual impairment through the use of metaphors in descriptive detail. Despite being…

Editor's Note: Today's blog is from Jasmyn Polite, an aspiring teacher who is visually impaired. Born with bilateral cataracts and diagnosed with glaucoma as a child, Jasmyn has worked diligently to learn to read braille in order to pursue her goals. To learn more about Jasmyn, read her story, "Jasmyn Polite: Shining a Light on Living with Glaucoma As an Aspiring Teacher."
Empish reading a braille sign for the restroom
Imagine you are a person who is completely blind who is in an…

We can all be heroes! That’s the inspiring message of the New York Times best-selling picture book biography series, "Ordinary People Change the World" from author Brad Meltzer and illustrator Christopher Eliopoulos. In honor of Helen Keller’s birthday on June 27, Peer Advisor, Holly Bonner reviewed one of Meltzer’s books from the series, "I Am Helen Keller."
Overview "I Am Helen Keller"
"I Am Helen Keller" begins with the book describing how Helen contracted a rare disease causing her to become deaf and blind. Both the narrative and the comic book like illustrations help children to understand the fear and isolation Helen…

A Breath, an Intonation Expresses a Desire to Act
This thought, the desire to act, begins a journey we will take as we pick up the first book written by Ann Chiappetta who has been blind since 1993.
Upwelling is a short book of poetry; it’s her first book. Because Ann works as a readjustment counseling therapist for the Department of Veterans Affairs, I was curious why she selected this title for her book. She replied, It means the welling up of thoughts, feelings, and emotions which are made into words and shared with the reader. The image begins as a thought, an impulse, which comes to life through her words. <img src="http://www.afb.org/image.asp?ImageID=8388" alt="Book cover of Upwelling by Ann Chiappetta…

Empish's Take on Using the KNFB Reader App
Although the KNFB Reader App for the iPhone has been on the market since 2014, I just recently started using it. As I have been slowly migrating my life onto my iPhone, this app was one I had yet to try. I typically scan all printed materials, especially my mail, using my desktop computer with a flatbed scanner and software called Open Book. But I had been hearing such great things about the KNFB Reader app, launched by the National Federation of the Blind, that I had to try it out. Because the app is on my phone, I can easily carry it around in my…

Editor's note: These book reviews by Peer Advisor, Amy Bovaird are part of the VisionAware Bookshelf Series. Each book shares a message of facing vision loss straight on and finding the courage and will power to move forward with life as someone living with a visual impairment.
Harnessing Courage: Overcoming Adversity Through Grit and Gratitude by Laura Bratton
By…

Celebrating our successes as visually impaired people is an essential step on the journey to healing. Peer advisor, Lynda McKinney Lambert knows this firsthand. Celebrating in a Memorable Way
After profound vision loss in 2007 due to Ischemic Optic Neuropathy, Lynda did not use a computer for almost two years. When she finally did relearn her way around the computer with the help of adaptive technology, she decided to celebrate in a memorable way. She started a blog. <img src="http://www.afb.org/image.asp?ImageID=8333" alt="The cover of Lynda Lambert's book, Walking…

I wrote this poem while walking 16 blocks with my sixth guide dog to a dental appointment. I am sharing it to honor my nine guide dogs on April 26th, International Guide Dog Day! Dancers: A Tribute to My Nine Guide Dogs
We are cloud dancers, You lead and I follow. Our steps synchronized Our bodies swaying to the same rhythm.
Swept along in the current of the jet stream. Floating lightly on the swell of an updraft, Swooping into a glide down the slope of a…

Editor's note: In today's post, Maribel interviews Dave Steele, a visually impaired poet and song writer. We first learned of Dave and his inspiring poetry during Valentine's Day when he shared a poem on retinitis pigmentosa. Learn more about Dave by reading his personal story. Raising Awareness About Living with Low Vision Through Poetry <img src="http://www.afb.org/image.asp?ImageID=8128" alt="Dave Steele holding his book, Stand with Me RP"…

Being blind or visually impaired doesn’t have to be a barrier to enjoying a good book. As we celebrate National Reading Month in March, peer advisor and visually impaired freelance writer, Maribel Steel, highlights some of the benefits we can all continue to enjoy either on our own or with our children when we want to get the most from the "bard" in our books. First Impressions
The magical world of words that first excites a child’s imagination is often conjured up from fairy tales and fables of childhood. This is a time of wonderment where the bard and the book are one, where nothing can replace the drama of a character as beautifully as in the voice of a loved one.
My own experience when I first heard the bard come alive in books were in the voices my…

Editor's note: In honor of National Reading Month, today's post features an audio recording of Maribel Steel's story, "Many Different Hats." Whether you enjoy reading large print, braille, or following along with audiobooks, the VisionAware peers encourage you to continue to enjoy reading. Click the link below to listen to Maribel's story.
Listen to "Many Different Hats" Transcript
(Soft music plays then fades out as the narrator begins to speak)
Narrator:"Many Different Hats," written by Maribel Steel and read by Carol Middleton. Playing Time: 7:51 minutes.…

Amy Authors Second Book on Mobility
Editor's note: Beckie Horter, peer advisor, conducts this interview of Amy Bovaird about her second book.
Cane Confessions is the second book in peer advisor, Amy Bovaird's, mobility series. The first is Mobility Matters: Stepping Out in Faith. It follows the journey of her orientation and mobility training. In this latest book, Cane…

When Dave Steele learned that he was losing his sight to Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), he took to expressing his fears, thoughts, and experiences through writing poems, songs, and verses. Only two years on, Dave has produced many creative works in raising awareness of the challenges people face in a similar situation. His book, Stand by Me RP is a touching collection of poems reflecting on his journey.
We couldn’t think of anything finer for Valentine’s Day than to highlight one of his love poems to his wife and thank Dave for giving VisionAware permission to feature a poem so close to his heart. "I have always believed that music and poetry can make an impact, touch the heart, and…

Reading Bookshare Books on iBooks Announced
January 23rd is National Reading Day, which is observed as a time to encourage and celebrate the love of literacy among children. Although it has been years since I was a child, the love of reading has never left me. The ability to peruse a book, newspaper, or magazine has always been a delight.
When I lost my vision 20 years ago, instead of reading printed books, I started reading audiobooks. One program I like to use is Bookshare, an online service that provides accessible books for people who are blind or…

This review is part of our bookshelf series Author Shares His Story of Blindness
In 109 pages, Steven Obremski truly accomplishes his goal—to answer the question posed in the book's title “How Do You Do It Blind” for both the general public and people who are newly visually impaired. Answers are provided by hundreds of visually impaired people Steven has worked with in the blindness field, people he interviewed for this book, and his own life experiences.
In chapter one,…

I love to learn. I read books frequently. I ask people about how they do things. I visit museums. I watch TV programs and listen to podcasts reporting on news and art and history. Give me the remote, a Netflix documentary, and a bowl of white cheddar popcorn, and I’m set for the night. My curiosity about life compels me to understand.
When I gained low vision a few years ago, I decided to learn how to adapt so I could still live a purposeful life. I switched from paperbacks to ebooks and audiobooks. I use audio tour headsets at museums. I…

Writers for centuries have created blind characters as literary devices, symbols, or simply for the challenge of it. Often they make these characters either extraordinary with special talents or helpless and tragic. In literature, the representation of blindness serves to illustrate cultural themes and values but rarely is it accurate or realistic. We end up with stereotypes and poor representations of what it is like to live as a blind person. We know the experience of blindness is as diverse as we are as individuals and it defies stereotyping. Can an author who is sighted create a believable blind character? Can blindness be depicted realistically by someone who is not…

In Part 1 of this series I talked about the National Library Service (NLS) player and its many uses. In Part 2, I covered how to download an application for NLS and the books they offer as well as other sources of downloadable books. In the this third part of the series I discuss using a computer. Read on! <img src="http://www.afb.org/image.asp?ImageID=7704" alt="Image of man diving off board into pool by David Shankbone [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL…

In Part 1 of this series I talked about the National Library Service (NLS) player and its many uses. In this part, I will cover how to download an application for NLS and the books they offer. I will also cover other sources of downloadable books. Getting Started
First check out VisionAware's article on Audio Players and Talking Books. This article explains in detail the National Library Service and other audio book services.
In a nutshell, to become a patron of NLS and…

Editor's note: Just in time for school to start in some parts of the world, we bring you Part 1 of "Getting Your Feet Wet in the Access Technology Wading Pool." Stay tuned for Part 2 on downloading books and how you can play them your talking book player and Part 3 on taking the next step and using a computer. How Reading Can Get You Started into Using…

Reading Books on Blindness
Reading is still a pleasure I enjoy every day. The beauty of talking books is that I can multi-task as I listen to my latest selection on BARD. In fact, I can carry around my iPhone filled with downloaded books from my ambitious reading list and listen as I fold clothes, cook, walk the dogs or work…

There is nothing like diving in to a good book on a lazy summer day. Vision loss changes our reading habits but it does not have to stop us from reading for pleasure. Whether you are reading with your ears, on a Kindle or an iPad, books enrich our lives and expand our worlds. Once again, the Peer Advisors have assembled a booklist with memoirs, fiction and non-fiction titles about blindness. (see the list of books on blindness). We will be reading and reviewing books from our list…

Dear Son,
I recognize this is a bit selfish, but I am not above offering a few suggestions for Father’s Day, on June 19, 2016 (no doubt this is already on your calendar). You are probably already fretting about what to get me anyway, and searching the internet for appropriate items. So I thought I could make it easier for you and the rest of the family, by highlighting a few things I’ve had my eyes on…besides, of course that stunning Ducati motorcycle! Amazon Echo
The whole family will fall in love with Alexa, the text-to-speech voice within the Amazon Echo. Check out my article,…

People Think Braille Is Not Useful
In this age of digital talking books, computers fitted with screen reader software, audio labeling systems like the Pen Friend, some believe that learning braille is no longer necessary for people with vision loss. It's true that we have reached an age when more access to printed material is available than ever before. Senior…

Change Can Be Uncomfortable
It always seems that, just when we have learned how to do a task with a great deal of confidence, there is someone out there in the world who comes up with the bright idea in order to make changes and improvements to how we are successfully doing things. We are creatures of habit by nature. So learning to do something in a new way seems to be uncomfortable or even unwelcome. If you have been using a personal computer for several years now, you will recall that every time software developers update their products, there is always going to be a new learning curve in order to accomplish those things that you already feel comfortable in doing. So why upgrade to the latest software development? You know that you can wait on the upgrade for the newer…

Editor's Note: This blog post has been updated to include additional information about reading apps. Check out "Reading Apps for Booklovers Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired" for more information. Electronic Access to Books Has Changed
Tablet computers, like the iPad, Kindle Fire, and Samsung Galaxy, have dramatically changed how we read. For individuals…

Traveling by Bus to Baltimore and DC
A few weeks ago I joined the Center for the Visually Impaired’s Braille Club as they boarded a bus for a 3-day trip to Washington, DC. We were all on our way to visit the Library of Congress and the National Library Services for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS). The purpose of the trip was to bring a deeper awareness in the use of braille and trigger additional excitement in reading. So all 24 of us left on a Wednesday evening. We rode all night and arrived in Baltimore at the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) Center…

Contemplating my twenty-two and a half years of school as a visually impaired student, I can divide the time into three periods: pre-technology, some technology, and the beginning of assistive technology. Kindergarten
The half year I alluded to was kindergarten. For me, it was very disappointing. As I told my mother when I came home the first day, “I did not learn to read!” Reading was the bottom line for me. I did learn to climb the monkey bars and could even pass another student as we scooted along on the top. This was a definite achievement for a five-year-old with ten degrees of visual field. So…I dropped out and waited for first…

Editor's note: Our last installment for National Reading Month.
by Maribel Steel
Have you ever wondered how people who are blind or visually-impaired are able to operate a computer without seeing the screen? How do they move around in cyberspace without cursing the cursor? Well, they use specialized technology to retain independence by learning to log-in to life using a variety of software choices.
If you are noticing signs of your sight deteriorating or you are experiencing difficulties staying on top of visual tasks on…

Last Year’s Resolution About Learning Braille
In January of last year I made a resolution to refresh my braille skills. I wrote a blog post for VisionAware called “My Journey Back to Braille.” In that post I shared about how I had learned braille many years ago but had not put it to full use. I shared how I knew the basics of my letters and numbers which is called Alphabetic Braille.…

January is Braille Literacy Awareness Month, in honor of Louis Braille who originally developed the braille code. Braille has been a major contributor to the independence of people who are blind and visually impaired and we are honoring the month with personal stories about its importance. Bumps On A Page
By Mary Hiland
How do you make sense of all those bumps on the page? Do blind people…

Editor's note: Did you know December 3 was the International Day of Disabilities? This year's theme is: Sustainable Development: The Promise of Technology. The United Nations is honoring this day and, in its press release, states, "Throughout human history, technology has shaped the way people live. Today information and communications technologies in particular have impacted a lot of people’s daily lives. However, not all people have access to technology and the higher standards of living it allows. With an estimated one billion people worldwide living with a disability, and 80% of them living in developing countries, access to technology is key to help realise the full and equal participation of persons with disabilities." (http://www.un.org/en/events/disabilitiesday/)…

Reading From an Early Age
I have enjoyed reading books since I was a small child. My enjoyment began with my parents reading me bedtime stories from the Golden Book series, which were short stories printed in a hard-bound book with gold trim on the binding. During my middle school years it was Classics by Charles Dickens and contemporary fiction by Judy Blume. Once in high school and college I was introduced to African-American stories by Alice Walker, James Baldwin, Toni Morrison and Richard Wright. Today as a visually impaired adult I can still dig into a good read because books have always been a large part of my life. But it was not until a couple of years ago that I took my enjoyment of…

Peer Advisors Talk About Their Experiences with iPhones
Why I LOVE my iPhone! by Audrey Demmitt
I was the last one in my family to have an iPhone. I resisted it for some time, feeling intimidated by the technology. Eventually, I got one for Christmas at my husband’s prodding. My adult kids were all home and spent time teaching me how to use it, setting the accessibility features and downloading helpful apps. They encouraged me to "just start looking around and using it and you will learn what it can do." Every day, I learned new functions…

Initial Reaction to Lean In
When I first heard about Sheryl Sandberg’s book Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead, I responded like so many other women in America. I thought how could this woman who has graduated from an Ivy League school, has wealth, a high level senior position, and a husband challenge me to "lean in?" I am working hard as a single, African-American woman with a disability. How in the world do I lean in? Is it possible? Maybe this book does not apply to women like me? So I found myself quickly dismissing all she was trying to say. I saw her interview on…

Editor's note: With all that has been going on with the close down of the Federal government, one of the programs that was initially affected was the BARD (Braille and Audio Reading Download) Program, through which people who are blind or visually impaired can download books to read from the National Library Service (NLS). (Note:The program was brought back online on October 4). BARD Shuts Down
The suspension of BARD really didn't make me happy.I am thankful, though, that I had a heads-up and knew that the site would be going down. When I heard that BARD would be off-line when the government was shut down, I logged in and began…

Technology--Both Exciting and Frustrating!
Technology is one of the most exciting and frustrating things in the world today. It can do amazing things; however, it can be the cause of countless hours of frustration and seemingly wasted time. As a blind person, I have used various kinds of technology over the past twenty plus years. It seems that in the past, in the blindness world, there has been that one new technology that leaps into the forefront, and everyone who is blind must have it. Now, however, as a blind consumer, I have many more options than ever before. In many ways, it’s great to have choices, but…

Sue and her dog guide at the Seeing Eye
Note from the editor: This month VisionAware is honoring vision rehabilitation therapists (VRTs). VisionAware peer advisor, Sue Wiygul Martin, VRT, has written a book, Out of the Whirlpool: A Memoir of Remorse and Reconciliation, about her experiences as a VRT, which will be published soon. This blog is an excerpt from Chapter 26, "Two Clients, One Goal," which will be posted soon on VisionAware in text and audio formatwith Sue's own voice!
This excerpt is about Gordon, who has…

Join Our Mission

Our Mission

VisionAware helps adults who are losing their sight continue to live full and independent lives by providing timely information, step-by-step daily living techniques, a directory of national and local services, and a supportive online community.